KZN DA councillors in 'dangerous situations' following another attack

DURBAN - Democratic Alliance councillors in the eThekwini metro in KwaZulu-Natal find themselves in increasingly dangerous situations and the matter requires urgent attention by both the city and the South African Police Service (SAPS), DA eThekwini caucus leader Nicole Graham said on Sunday.

Another DA councillor had been attacked in KwaZulu-Natal - the second attack in the last seven days, she said.

Ward 58 councillor Geoff Pullan was "attacked and assaulted by his ward committee secretary..." during a ward committee meeting on Wednesday, Graham said

Pullan and the secretary "had a dispute about the register, and in response, the secretary attacked him. His head was hit against the wall and window, he has bruises and abrasions on his head and body".

On Sunday, May 7, DA councillor Sihle Magubane was "assaulted and strangled by ANC members" in Mhlathuze during an altercation concerning a hall that the DA had booked for a meeting.

Both incidents had been reported to the SAPS and cases had been opened. The matter had also been reported to the speaker's office and Pullan was requesting that the committee be dissolved. "The ward committee secretary is reportedly an ANC member," Graham said.

"This kind of thuggish behaviour has no place in a democratic society," she said. In March this year, councillor Warren Burne also laid assault charges against a member of his ward committee. Both councillor Pullan and councillor Burne won their wards from the ANC for the first time since the 2016 local government elections, and have been working hard under difficult circumstances.

"DA councillors find themselves in increasingly dangerous situations in eThekwini and the province as a whole, and this matter requires urgent attention by both the city and the SAPS. We wish councillor Pullan well in his recovery and will not allow thuggish behaviour to deter our mission of bringing total change to KZN," Graham said.